The Bible

 

Genezo 34

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1 Dina, la filino de Lea, kiun sxi naskis al Jakob, eliris, por vidi la filinojn de la lando.

2 Kaj vidis sxin SXehxem, filo de HXamor la HXivido, princo de la lando, kaj li prenis sxin kaj kusxis kun sxi kaj faris al sxi perfortajxon.

3 Kaj algluigxis lia animo al Dina, la filino de Jakob, kaj li ekamis la junulinon kaj parolis al la koro de la junulino.

4 Kaj SXehxem diris al sia patro HXamor jene: Prenu por mi cxi tiun knabinon kiel edzinon.

5 Jakob auxdis, ke li senhonorigis lian filinon Dina; sed liaj filoj estis kun liaj brutoj sur la kampo, tial Jakob silentis gxis ilia veno.

6 Kaj HXamor, la patro de SXehxem, eliris al Jakob, por paroli kun li.

7 Sed la filoj de Jakob venis de la kampo. Kiam ili auxdis, la viroj cxagrenigxis kaj forte kolerigxis, ke li faris malnoblajxon en Izrael, kusxinte kun la filino de Jakob, kio ne devis esti farata.

8 HXamor ekparolis al ili, dirante: SXehxem, mia filo, deziregas per sia animo vian filinon; donu sxin al li kiel edzinon.

9 Kaj boparencigxu kun ni: viajn filinojn donu al ni, kaj niajn filinojn prenu al vi.

10 Kaj logxu kun ni, kaj la lando estos antaux vi; logxu kaj faru negocojn kaj akiru posedajxojn en gxi.

11 Kaj SXehxem diris al sxia patro kaj al sxiaj fratoj: Estu favoraj al mi; kaj kion vi diros al mi, mi donos.

12 Postulu de mi tre grandan doton kaj donacojn, kaj mi donos, kion vi diros al mi; nur donu al mi la junulinon kiel edzinon.

13 Kaj la filoj de Jakob respondis al SXehxem kaj al lia patro HXamor ruze, kaj parolis tiel pro tio, ke li senhonorigis ilian fratinon Dina;

14 kaj ili diris al ili: Ni ne povas fari tion kaj doni nian fratinon al viro, kiu ne estas cirkumcidita; cxar tio estus por Ni hontindajxo.

15 Nur tiam ni donos al vi nian konsenton, se vi estos kiel ni kaj cirkumcidos cxe vi cxiun virseksulon.

16 Tiam ni donos niajn filinojn al vi kaj viajn filinojn ni prenos al ni, kaj ni logxos kun vi, kaj ni estos unu popolo.

17 Sed se vi ne konsentos lasi cirkumcidi vin, tiam ni prenos nian filinon kaj foriros.

18 Ilia parolo placxis al HXamor, kaj al SXehxem, la filo de HXamor.

19 Kaj la junulo ne prokrastis fari la aferon, cxar li deziris la filinon de Jakob; kaj li estis la plej honorata inter cxiuj domanoj de sia patro.

20 Kaj HXamor kaj lia filo SXehxem venis al la pordego de sia urbo, kaj ekparolis al la logxantoj de sia urbo, dirante:

21 Tiuj homoj estas pacaj kun ni; tial ili logxu en la lando kaj faru en gxi negocojn; la lando estas ja grandspaca por ili. Iliajn filinojn ni prenu al ni kiel edzinojn, kaj niajn filinojn ni donu al ili.

22 Sed nur en tia okazo tiuj homoj konsentas logxi kun ni kaj esti unu popolo, se ni cirkumcidos cxe ni cxiun virseksulon, kiel ili estas cirkumciditaj.

23 Ilia akiritajxo kaj havajxo kaj cxiuj iliaj brutoj farigxos ja niaj, se ni nur donos al ili nian konsenton kaj ili logxos kun ni.

24 Kaj obeis al HXamor kaj al lia filo SXehxem cxiuj elirantaj el la pordego de lia urbo; kaj cirkumcidigxis cxiuj virseksuloj, cxiuj elirantaj el la pordego de lia urbo.

25 En la tria tago, kiam ili estis malsanaj, du filoj de Jakob, Simeon kaj Levi, fratoj de Dina, prenis cxiu sian glavon kaj venis sentime en la urbon kaj mortigis cxiujn virseksulojn.

26 Kaj HXamoron kaj lian filon SXehxem ili mortigis per glavo, kaj prenis Dinan el la domo de SXehxem kaj eliris.

27 La filoj de Jakob venis al la mortigitoj, kaj prirabis la urbon pro tio, ke ili senhonorigis ilian fratinon.

28 Iliajn sxafojn kaj iliajn bovojn kaj iliajn azenojn, kaj cxion, kio estis en la urbo, kaj tion, kio estis sur la kampo, ili prenis.

29 Kaj ilian tutan ricxon kaj cxiujn iliajn infanojn kaj iliajn edzinojn ili malliberigis, kaj rabis cxion, kio estis en la domoj.

30 Tiam Jakob diris al Simeon kaj al Levi: Vi afliktis min kaj faris min malaminda por la logxantoj de la lando, por la Kanaanidoj kaj Perizidoj. Mi havas ja malmulte da homoj; kiam ili kolektigxos kontraux mi kaj venkobatos min, tiam estos ekstermita mi kaj mia domo.

31 Sed ili diris: CXu estas permesite agi kun nia fratino kiel kun publikulino?

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4448

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4448. 'Shechem my son' means the truth derived from that good. This is clear from the representation of 'Shechem' as interior truth, dealt with in 4430, and so truth derived from the good meant by Hamor, 4447. Actually all the truth of the Church is derived from its good; such truth never arises from any other source. This truth which Shechem represents is called interior truth, being in essence nothing other than the good of charity. Indeed the Most Ancient Church, being celestial, was governed by the good of love to the Lord and as a consequence they had a perception of all truth; for the members of that Church were almost as angels. They also had communication with angels, that being the source of their perception. They never therefore reasoned about any truth of faith, but simply said 'Yes, that is the truth' because they had a perception of it from heaven. They did not even wish to make mention of faith, but of charity instead, see 202, 337, 2715, 2718, 3246. For this reason it is the good of charity that is meant at this point by interior truth. As regards the remnants of that Church existing with Hamor the Hivite and his son Shechem, see immediately above in 4447.

[2] With the Ancient Church, which was spiritual, it was different. This Church was not governed like the Most Ancient Church by love to the Lord but by charity towards the neighbour. Nor was it able to arrive at charity except through the truth of faith, of which, unlike the Most Ancient people, they did not have any perception and therefore began to make investigations into whether the truth was the truth. Regarding the difference between celestial people who had perception and spiritual ones who do not, see 2088, 2669, 2708, 2715, 3235, 3240, 3246, 3887.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3240

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3240. 'And Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan' means the derivatives from the first division. This is clear from the representation of 'Jokshan' and his sons 'Sheba and Dedan' dealt with below. Since they are mere names here and they mean states and derivatives of the Lord's spiritual Church, something about what they are in general must be stated. The celestial Church differs from the spiritual Church in that in those who belong to the celestial Church and who are called celestial, love - that is to say, the good and truth of love - is present; but in those who belong to the spiritual Church and who are called spiritual, faith - that is to say, the good and truth of faith - is present. Good as it exists with those who are celestial consists in love to the Lord, and truth as it exists with them in love towards the neighbour. But good as it exists with those who are spiritual consists in charity towards the neighbour, and truth as it exists with them in faith insofar as this is doctrine concerning charity. From this it may be seen that good and truth are present in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, as they are in His celestial kingdom, yet are considerably different.

[2] It should be recognized in addition that the inhabitants of those kingdoms are distinguished from one another by means of good and truth for the reason that some are governed more by good, others more by truth. And it is from this that derivatives arise, that is to say, derivatives of good and derivatives of truth. The derivatives of good in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are those which are represented by the sons of Jokshan, who are referred to in this verse, but the derivatives of truth there are those which are represented by the sons of Midian, who are referred to in the next verse. Now because there are two categories of spiritual people - those governed more by good and those governed more by truth - two varieties of doctrine therefore exist among them, namely matters of doctrine concerning charity and matters of doctrine concerning faith. Matters of doctrine concerning charity exist for the sake of those governed by the good of faith, who are meant here by the sons of Jokshan. But matters of doctrine concerning faith exist for the sake of those governed by the truth of faith, who are meant by the sons of Midian.

[3] Sheba and Dedan are those who constitute the first category, that is, people in the Lord's spiritual kingdom who are governed by the good of faith and with whom matters concerning charity exist. This explains why Sheba and Dedan mean the cognitions of celestial things, or what amounts to the same, those with whom such cognitions exist, that is, with whom matters of doctrine concerning charity exist, for matters of doctrine are cognitions, and that which is celestial with the spiritual man is charity. For Sheba and Dedan mean those cognitions, as has been shown in Volume One, in 117, 1168, 1171, 1172, though there they are the great-grandsons of Ham, and are called the sons of Raamah. It should be realized however that Ham, like Japheth and Shem also, never was an actual person, but that those who belonged to the Church after the Flood called Noah were distinguished as regards goods and truths into three groups, and these groups were referred to by those names, 736, 1062, 1065, 1140, 1141, 1162, and in various other places. Nevertheless there were nations which were so called, but these were descended from different individuals, as is evident here from Sheba and Dedan who were descended from Jokshan, Abraham's son by Keturah.

[4] As regards 'Sheba' meaning those with whom cognitions of celestial things exist - thus those governed by the good of faith - this is clear from the places introduced in 117, 1171. 'Dedan' has a similar meaning, as is clear from the texts quoted in 1172, as well as from the following: In Isaiah,

The prophecy concerning Arabia. In the forest in Arabia you will spend the night, O bands of Dedanites. To the thirsty bring water; O inhabitants of the land of Tema, meet with his bread the fugitive, for they will flee before the swords, before the drawn sword. Isaiah 21:13-15.

'Spending the night in the forest in Arabia' stands for being made desolate as regards good. For 'Arabia' means those with whom celestial things exist, that is, the goods of faith, so that 'spending the night there in the forest' is when goods exist no longer, and therefore means desolation, which is also described by 'fleeing before the swords, before the drawn sword'. Celestial things, that is, the goods of faith - or what amount to the same, the works of charity - which are theirs, are meant by 'bringing water to the thirsty, and with bread meeting the fugitive'.

[5] In Jeremiah,

I took the cup from Jehovah's hand and made all the nations to whom Jehovah sent me drink it - Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, and its kings and its princes, to turn them into a desolation; Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; all the kings of Tyre and all the kings of Sidon; Dedan and Tema, and Buz, and all who have cut the corners [of their hair] all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media, and all the kings of the north. Jeremiah 25:17-19, 22-23, 25-26.

This also refers to the desolation of the spiritual Church, different elements of which Church are mentioned in order and are meant by Jerusalem, the cities of Judah, Egypt, Tyre, Sidon, Dedan, Tema, Buz, Zimri, Elam, and Media.

[6] In Ezekiel,

Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, and all its young lions will say to you, Have you come to seize the spoil? Have you assembled your company to carry off plunder, to carry away silver and gold, and to take cattle and possessions, and seize great spoil? Ezekiel 38:13.

This refers to Gog who means external worship separated from internal, which is idolatrous, 1151. 'Sheba and Dedan' stands for the internal aspects of worship, namely the goods of faith, 'Tarshish' for corresponding external worship. The silver, gold, cattle, possessions, and spoil which Gog - or external worship separated from the internal - wishes to 'carry away' are the cognitions of good and truth, which those who are meant by Sheba and Dedan fight for and defend, and who are on that account called 'young lions'. In the proper sense 'Sheba' is those with whom cognitions of good exist, 'Dedan' those with whom cognitions of truth derived from good are present.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.